62 



for training him. Then they agreed to play a game of 

 seven up to see who would own all. William Mulkey, a 

 breeder and turfman, of Kansas City at the present time, was 

 selected to play for Ecker, who did not understand the game 

 perfectly, while Capt. Shaw manipulated the cards for him- 

 self. It was for seven points and they were six and six. 

 Mulkey was dealing and turned a jack, which gave the 

 horse to Ecker. 



I had told Capt. Shaw the horse was a great plater, and 

 I persuaded him in company with Charley Hunt to buy the 

 animal back. There was one drawback. He was a bolter, 

 and nothing could be done with him, for he would not run 

 straight at any time, So, while I was waiting for the horses 

 to come here from Denver, I so tamed and trained him that 

 he became one of the most useful horses on the turf, winning 

 his owers many thousands of dollars. The great Checkmate 

 barely beat him for the cup that season. 



In due time Mr. Bell's horses arrived and I took charge 

 of them. He had in his string Dave Yandell, Cliff Bell, 

 John McGinty and three others, all in bad shape. I put 

 them in condition and went to Chicago with them, where I 

 persuaded Mr. Bell to buy Harry Gilmore, by Buckden, out 

 of Lady Grigsby, a full brother to Buchanan, who won the 

 Kentucky Derby and at the same time twice as good a 

 horse. 



The horse was looking badly at the time, but I pro- 

 ceeded to fix him up. At Saratoga he began to improve 

 rapidly, and I saw he was a great race horse. Up to this 

 time he had never been able to win at anything greater than 

 a mile and was looked upon by every one as a sprinter. 



I soon realized that he had something more in him than 

 had yet appeared. Just at daylight every morning I took 

 him out and gave him a gallop, which put strength and 

 endurance into his system. He was entered in the great 

 Omnibus Stakes at Long Branch, although no one thought 

 he had the remotest chance of winning; but I differed from 

 them and began preparing him for the event. Every day 

 at daybreak I had him out and gave him his work. He 

 showed that he had all sorts of speed as well as endur- 

 ance, and I knew that I had almost made a new horse of him. 



Just before leaving for Long Branch one morning I sent 

 him a mile and a half in 2:34^ with 112 pounds up. 



